By Khushwant Singh

HE HAS waited 16 long years.

Now, Mr Yunani Abdul Hamid can finally say he is free.

The prosecution has decided to drop its appeal against Mr Yunani's acquittal on drug trafficking charges, bringing to an end what has been a troubled 16 years for the port worker.

In 1992, the then 18-year- old was charged with drug trafficking, but the charge was dropped as his alleged accomplice, Abdul Aziz Idros, could not be found.

Things remained dormant for 15 years - until Abdul Aziz was nabbed at a roadblock in April last year.

That led to a rapid succession of court hearings which saw Mr Yunani re-charged and jailed. He was given a second chance when a High Court judge ordered a re-trial, and was finally acquitted in April.

The prosecution appealed, but dropped it after District Judge Jasvender Kaur released her grounds of decision last week, explaining why she acquitted Mr Yunani.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.